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Faizel Patel – 24/11/2020
Check Point Software Technologies has warned mobile users of the security risks of QR codes as their usage has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerns over the Coronavirus transmission has seen restaurants adopting QR codes so that customers can browse menus on their phone or make contactless payments, and QR codes recording check-ins at venues via contact tracing apps.
Hackers are looking to take advantage of QR codes’ new popularity, by replacing legitimate QR codes with one that launches a malicious URL or tries to download customized malware when scanned.
When scanned, the malicious code tries to access the login credentials used for other apps on the user’s phone – such as banking and retail apps – to try to steal login data or set up unauthorized transactions.
Check Point’s 2020 Cyber Security Report shows that 27% of organizations worldwide were impacted by cyber-attacks involving mobiles, and 34% hit by mobile malware.
A Check Point spokesperson says a QR code is nothing more than a quick and convenient way to access an online resource, and we can’t be certain that the resource is legitimate until after we’ve already scanned the code – which means that an attack could have already started.
“QR codes are not inherently secure or trustworthy, and hackers know that a majority of people have little or no security on their phones at all, so we strongly advise everyone to use a mobile security solution to protect their devices and data against phishing, malicious apps and malware.”
Check Point has urged users to adopt good mobile security solutions for enterprise devices and for individuals’ personal phones.
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